ROCK HILL, S.C. - Charleston Southern was unable to complete the comeback in the back-and-forth series opener on Friday afternoon as the Buccaneers fell on the road to Winthrop in Big South play, 59-56.

CSU (6-9, 4-7 Big South) and Winthrop (4-10, 3-8 Big South) battled their way through four ties and 13 lead changes throughout the contest with the final one coming on Janaia Fargo's layup at the 2:57 mark that knotted the contest up at 51-51. From there, the Eagles took advantage of back-to-back baskets from Anika Riley and Madison Ervin to go back up two possessions, while a clutch three-pointer from Myra Strickland gave Winthrop the 58-53 lead with 18 seconds left.

Sharita Godfrey connected on a three-pointer of her own out of a CSU timeout on the ensuing possession to make it another two-point game inside the WU Coliseum. Alyssia Faye drew a charge on the inbounds play to give CSU a chance to take the lead with the ball at midcourt. However, Maleeah Langstaff came away with a steal and converted one of two free throws to pace the Eagles to the three-point win.

Tori Gittens paced the Bucs in scoring as the sophomore guard hit 4-of-6 three-pointers on her way to a team-high 14 points. Sharita Godfrey added 12 points and six rebounds in the loss.

Strickland led all scorers with 19 points and added six rebounds in the Winthrop win. Sierra Hunter chipped in 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting off the bench.

First Quarter
Tori Gittens showed off the hot-hand early with a three-pointer on the game's opening possession and Jamya Rogers added a layup as the Buccaneers went up 5-0 early in the quarter. The Eagles responded with a 6-0 run of their own for the first lead change of the contest as Sierra Hunter connected on a fast-break layup at the 6:47 mark. Sharita Godfrey added a late three-pointer to give the Bucs the 10-8 lead, but Myra Strickland connected on her first three-pointer of the contest with eight seconds remaining in the frame to give the Eagles the 13-10 lead at the break.

Second Quarter
Winthrop's lead reached seven points on two separate occasions including a 25-18 advantage at the 4:02 mark following a Hunter jumper in the paint. The Bucs battled back with Godfrey connecting on her third three-pointer of the first half at the 3:27 mark and Tyra Wright followed with a short jumper to cut the deficit back down to two points. The game remained within striking distance for the Bucs with Janaia Fargo ending the half on a high note with a three-pointer to pull the Bucs within 32-30 heading into the locker room.

Third Quarter
Gittens again struck first for the Bucs in the second half as the sophomore guard connecting on a three-pointer at the 7:10 mark to put CSU back in the lead, 33-32. Her second three-pointer of the quarter gave the Bucs the lead again three minutes later, while Fargo added a steal and layup to put CSU ahead 38-34 with 3:50 to play in the frame. The lead switched hands three times the rest of the quarter before Alyssia Faye connected on a late jumper to knot the game up for the second time at 42-42 at the end of the quarter.

Fourth Quarter
Rogers had the Bucs rolling early in the fourth quarter with a three-point play that gave CSU the 45-44 lead with 7:22 remaining in the contest. Faye added a pair of free throws to extend the Bucs' lead to 47-44, their largest lead of the quarter. The Eagles battled back and took the lead for good with 1:49 remaining as Riley's jumper gave Winthrop the 53-51 lead. Fargo connected on a pair of free throws and Godfrey added a late three-pointer, but it wasn't enough for the Bucs to complete the comeback in the series opener.

CSU Key Players

• Tori Gittens – 14 points, 5-of-7 FG, 4-of-6 3PT, four rebounds, two assists
• Sharita Godfrey – 12 points, 4-of-11 FG, 4-of-6 3PT, six rebounds, three assists, one blocked shot
• Janaia Fargo – Nine points, 3-of-7 FG, 2-of-2 FT, two assists, one steal
• Alyssia Faye – Six points, four rebounds, two assists
• Sha'Mya Leigh – Six points, three rebounds, two steals

Inside the Statistics

• Charleston Southern shot 40.8% (20-of-49) from the floor, 47.4% (9-of-19) from the three-point line, and 70.0% (7-of-10) from the free throw line in the loss.
• Winthrop shot 39.2% (20-of-51) from the floor, 33.3% (6-of-18) from the three-point line, and 76.5% (13-of-17) from the free throw line in the win.
• Winthrop held the 34-29 rebounding edge and outscored CSU 22-18 inside the paint.
• The Eagles' bench outscored the Bucs 22-10.

News & Notes

• Tori Gittens' 14 points marked a career-high for the Buccaneers' sophomore guard and her second double-digit scoring effort of the season.
• Gittens' four three-pointers also marked a new career-high for the Sherman, Texas native.
• Sharita Godfrey was also in double-digits for a team-leading ninth time this season and 20th of her collegiate career.
• The Bucs eclipsed the 40.0% field goal percentage mark for the eighth time this season and first since January 15 against UNC Asheville.
• CSU's 47.4% three-point mark marked the seventh time the Bucs eclipsed a 40.0% three-point percentage, while their nine three-pointers was the second-highest on the season.

Up Next
Charleston Southern and Winthrop close out the Big South series tomorrow afternoon as the Buccaneers and Eagles tipoff at 1 p.m. at the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C. The game will be carried live on ESPN+.